The present invention relates to a portable telecommunication apparatus, comprising an audio input, such as a microphone, an audio output, such as a speaker, a controller for controlling the audio input and the audio output. An audio accessory interface operatively connects an external audio accessory capable of receiving the external sound and forwarding it to the apparatus and/or capable of generating external sound forwarded from the apparatus.
Mobile telephones are perhaps the most prominent example of a portable telecommunication apparatus as set out above. Consequently, for the rest of this document a mobile telephone is referred to, in a non-limiting sense, for exemplifying the portable telecommunication apparatus according to the present invention.
Following the rapidly increasing popularity of mobile telephones, the flora of audio accessories for mobile telephones has grown correspondingly. Examples of commercially available accessories are vehicle-installed stationary handsfree units, portable handsfree units (headsets), cordless headsets, portable computers with audio capabilities, etc. As long as a single audio accessory is to be used together with the telephone, the interaction and control thereof is fairly easy to design and implement. For instance, if a stationary handsfree unit is to be used together with the mobile telephone, the mobile telephone it self will normally direct incoming and outgoing audio through its internal microphone and speaker. Once the mobile telephone has been installed in the stationary handsfree unit, the audio control is fully transferred to the handsfree unit, i.e. all audio is immediately directed through the external speaker and the microphone of the handsfree unit, and simultaneously the internal speaker and microphone of the mobile telephone are turned off.
However, it is much more difficult to control the interaction and operation of more than one audio accessory connected at the same time to a single mobile telephone.
Many difficult questions arise when trying to handle audio control for more than one audio accessory connected at the same time. For instance, to whom shall the audio be directed upon reception of a telephone call? How will the accessories know which of the accessories that will control the call? How shall a call be transferred from one audio accessory to another? To which audio accessory shall the telephone generate a ring signal for notifying an incoming telephone call? These and other questions must be solved in order to avoid technical malfunction and user disturbance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved audio control for mobile telephones, allowing multiple audio accessories to be concurrently connected to the mobile telephone.
The object may be achieved by establishing a set of rules for the communication between the mobile telephone and all audio accessories operatively connected thereto, combined with arranging the controller of the mobile telephone to operate in accordance a of with a logical state machine, which provides a clear definition of how audio control is to be dealt with for every possible condition, irrespective of the number, type and operational state of audio accessories connected to the mobile telephone. By these provisions, each audio accessory is forced to send relevant user actions to the mobile telephone and request an appropriate service from the mobile telephone, which has unrestricted and continuous control of the audio services.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention appear from the following detailed disclosure, from the appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawings.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in more detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 provides an illustrated example of a possible scenario, where a user of a mobile telephone has connected multiple audio accessories to the telephone,
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the mobile telephone and two audio accessories connected thereto,
FIG. 3 is a first logic state machine graph illustrating the way, in which the mobile telephone and the audio accessories are arranged to operate, and
FIG. 4 is a second logic state machine graph illustrating the way, in which the mobile telephone and the audio accessories are arranged to operate.